Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 222 The Hardcore Exam

Once the exam was over, the peak season for ninja missions began. However, this time, every ninja who came to receive a mission could see a familiar blond man sitting on the side, smiling at them.

The village's personnel shortage is slowly being filled, and the frequency of Jonin missions has noticeably decreased. Naturally, there aren't as many high-ranking missions requiring their involvement as there are ordinary ones. Unless they're leading a squad, their missions are generally no lower than B-rank. As for Naruto, this "nuclear bomb" (a ninja known for his explosive power), he hasn't gone out much since being placed in an administrative department. After all, an administrative salary can support a ninja, just not as high as the rewards for missions.

Aside from his work in Konoha, Hui is also making major adjustments to departmental functions in an effort to reduce the burden on the Supreme Leader.

Balancing power has always been a perpetual challenge for management. Too much power can easily turn a situation into a one-man show and exhaust the leader. Too little power risks departments engaging in cover-ups and encroaching on each other's territory. If it weren't for the rock-solid position of "Golden Wheel," the predecessors wouldn't have dared to implement such sweeping reforms. Their initial management model was inherited from the ninja village, but after using it for a while, they discovered many problems. So, under the guise of reducing the burden on "management," they changed it along with the work, and the subordinates didn't say much.

New decisions inevitably take time to be implemented before their effects become apparent. Therefore, Naruto has been experiencing two extremes this month: sometimes so idle he's wandering around Hokushin, and other times so busy his clones break down every day. There are two main reasons for this: first, Hikaru abolished the crucial Task Allocation Department, distributing its functions among various departments; second, Hikaru formally established a military headquarters and appointed Kinrin as its supreme commander.

Anyone who has conquered new territories knows that whoever commands the most fighting power is the true leader. Naruto could certainly trust any of them, but trust and legitimacy are both indispensable. Only when Kinrin sits in that position and continues the system can Hui's rule remain stable.

On the day the decree was issued, Naruto also became the inspector of the Konoha Mission Allocation Department. Shisui, who was overwhelmed with the new hospital plan, specifically took some time to "interview" Naruto about what it felt like to lead a department destined for elimination, thus naturally earning him the right to duel. However, since Naruto was a clone, they fought quite restrainedly. Shisui didn't use his Complete Susanoo, and Naruto didn't use Kurama's power. Without the chakra advantage, the unpredictable nature of the Flying Thunder God Technique finally came into play. Shisui was surprised to find that Naruto's combat awareness was actually on par with his own. Naruto would never appear where Shisui could see his marks; every attack was designed to be unexpected, giving no time to react.

The two fought to a near draw before stopping, but this aroused the desire of the seniors watching the match.

The veterans, busy with construction and development, were all itching to get their hands dirty. While their reanimated bodies meant they didn't have to worry about declining physical function from sitting in the office for too long, a loss of combat awareness was a permanent loss, something training couldn't compensate for. Therefore, the military's first round of selections was very simple and brutal: all applicants were teleported to a small archipelago at sea, specially protected by a barrier to prevent outside detection.

Everyone can try their best to escape or fight back. As long as they can "survive" for an hour in the hands of the four powerful figures, they will pass.

These four powerful individuals are Fugaku, Izuna, Tobirama, and Kinrin. Hashirama went to maintain the barrier and unfortunately cannot attend the exam.

"Aren't we being a bit too unfair?" Naruto said, having not had a chance to make a move since the start of the match.

"Didn't you say you wanted to build an army with a strong will? If you can't even handle this little setback, how can you fight a war? You didn't even send my older brother."

Tobirama was a semi-commander in the operation. His sensory abilities weren't as exaggerated as Naruto's, but they were sufficient for the battlefield. The two Uchiha might not necessarily follow his tactics, but they would definitely listen to his reports of positions. Many of the first batch of volunteers were still children, so Fugaku, who had watched them grow up, actually went easy on them; the real main force was Izuna.

Without the side effects of unleashing Susanoo, why not unleash it? Izuna wanted to show these arrogant brats what true power really was! Izuna's Mangekyou Sharingan abilities leaned towards functionality; his Susanoo wasn't as tall as his brother's, but it was still a hundred-meter giant. When that thing first appeared, the entire arena could clearly see that purplish-black chakra giant, and panic instantly spread to every corner.

However, after the initial shock, some chose to hide and avoid battle, while others quickly rallied, gathered their strength, and tried to find an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Poor Naruto, an examiner, became the examinees' lifeline. He couldn't participate in the trials at all, but he was incredibly skilled at rescuing people from Izuna's blade. These people, of course, wore the Flying Thunder God Mark, which was for survival.

An hour wasn't enough for the veterans who had been holding back for so long to have their fill, but it left the contestants half-dead. Those who survived by sheer luck and those who narrowly escaped death received comfort from "Golden Wheel," and then they couldn't care less about the difference in strength.

"Where's Hashirama? Come and fight!" Izuna, unleashing his full power, decisively abandoned his longtime battle partner and set his sights on his brother's target. He had always wanted to know what it would be like to fight the God of Shinobi, but unfortunately, his brother had always refused to give him an opponent.

“…I’ll go maintain the barrier,” Naruto said helplessly.

"No need. I still have enough chakra to maintain the barrier." Tobirama showed no sense of crisis about losing his opponent, nor any worry about his older brother being beaten. Instead, he left a clone here and watched with great interest.

Fugaku's Susanoo is deep red, and he has only ever used his half-body form, never reaching such an exaggerated complete form. At this moment, looking at the giant waves surging on the sea, he exclaimed, "To be able to fix such a massive amount of chakra at once, Izuna-sama is truly amazing."

"Can't anyone with a Mangekyou Sharingan use this?" Naruto's question seemed a bit naive, but it was understandable, since the Uchiha he knew were all extremely outrageous beings.

Fugaku suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and said, "Controlling the form of Susanoo requires practice. However, this technique demands a lot of chakra and ocular power. Using it too much will blind anyone who is not at the Eternal level. My chakra reserves are not as high as Lord Izuna's, so I can't open it to that extent."

So that's how it is! No wonder Sasuke's eyes looked so bad when they met under the bridge back then; he must have used too much eye drops! So his supposedly handsome smile wasn't seen? Damn it!